God of War

Gameplay

God of War is an action-adventure game. Unlike the previous games, which mostly use a fixed cinematic camera, it uses an over-the-shoulder camera. It is presented in a continuous shot, with no camera cuts or loading screens. Although the previous main installment, Ascension (2013), introduced multiplayer to the series, this installment is single-player-only. Regarding the level structure, creative director Cory Barlog said "it's open, but it is not an open world." Due to its openness, a fast travel feature is unlocked later. Swimming, an ability in previous games, was cut; players instead use a boat to traverse bodies of water. Unlike previous games, which allowed players to jump freely at any time, jumping can now only be done at designated areas, such as at a rock face or ledge. Players battle Norse mythological foes, like dark elves, wulvers, and draugrs, as well as Gullveig and the revenants, beings warped by seiðr magic, among many others. Valkyries appear as optional secret boss battles throughout the six playable locations. Among the many side quests, players can free the imprisoned dragons Fáfnir, Otr, and Reginn—dwarves who were turned into dragons—in addition to battling one called Hræzlyr, a story-based boss battle.

The player controls the character Kratos in combo-based combat and puzzle game elements. The gameplay was completely rebuilt from previous games. A major change is that Kratos no longer uses his signature double-chained blades, the Blades of Chaos, as his default weapon. Instead, he uses a magical battle axe called the Leviathan Axe, which is infused with ice elemental magic. The axe can be thrown at enemies and magically summoned back to his hand, similar to Thor's hammer Mjölnir. Larger enemies have precision targets which stun the enemy if hit. The weapon can also be thrown at objects to freeze or move mechanisms, or trigger damaging explosions, until returned to Kratos's hand. The axe has standard light and heavy attacks. Over time, it can be upgraded with runes to allow for light and heavy magical "runic" attacks. This provides players with a variety of options to cater to their own play style. Another new weapon is the collapsible Guardian Shield, which appears as a vambrace on his arm when not in use. The shield can be used offensively or defensively, similar to the Golden Fleece in previous games. Kratos also utilizes hand-to-hand combat, a feature originally introduced in Ascension. The Blades of Chaos, infused with fire elemental magic, are acquired later via a plot device and perform in a similar manner as in previous installments—they are a pair of blades attached to chains that can be swung around in various maneuvers. The weapon can also be upgraded with magical runic attacks.

Synopsis

Setting

While the first seven games were loosely based on Greek mythology, this installment is loosely inspired by Norse mythology, taking place at least 150 years after God of War III (2010). Six of the nine realms of Norse mythology can be explored. Predating the Vikings, most of the game takes place in ancient Scandinavia in the realm of Midgard, which is inhabited by humans and other creatures. It is the same realm in which the Greek world existed. As more dangerous creatures began appearing, many humans fled. Other realms visited as part of the story include Alfheim, the mystical home of the light and dark elves; Helheim, the icy land of the dead; and Jötunheim, the mountainous land of the Giants. Optional explorable realms include Niflheim, a realm of poisonous fog with a maze-like structure of rewards; and the fire realm Muspelheim, featuring the six Trials of Muspelheim—completing each trial grants rewards and advances Kratos and Atreus closer to the top of a large volcano, facing off Göndul, one of the nine Valkyries. Access to the other three realms—Asgard, home of the Æsir gods; Vanaheim, home of the Vanir gods; and Svartalfheim, home of the dwarves—has been blocked by Odin, the ruler of Asgard and the Æsir gods. At the center of the realms is the mythical tree Yggdrasil, which connects each realm. Although each realm is a different world, they exist simultaneously in the same space. Travel to and from realms can be done by using the Bifröst from a root of Yggdrasil contained within Týr's Temple at the center of the Lake of the Nine. The temple was created by its namesake, Týr, a peaceful God of War who traveled to other lands and learned about their mythologies; it was told that Odin had him killed as he believed Týr was secretly aiding the Giants and would try to overthrow him.

Characters

Kratos (Christopher Judge) is a warrior from Sparta who became the Greek God of War and is a son of Zeus. After ending up in ancient Scandinavia following his war against Olympus, he met his second wife, Laufey (addressed as Faye), who died from an unknown cause. Their son, Atreus (Sunny Suljic)., does not know about Kratos's past or his divine nature but can hear other beings' thoughts. The main antagonist is the Æsir god Baldur (Jeremy Davies), the half-brother of Thor, whose sons Modi and Magni (Nolan North and Troy Baker, respectively) assist him. Baldur's parents are Odin, the Allfather and King of the Æsir, and the Vanir goddess Freya (Danielle Bisutti), the former Queen of the Valkyries. Freya tried leaving Odin after he began corrupting her Vanir magic, but he in turn stripped her of her Valkyrie wings, banished her to Midgard, and cast a spell on her that prevented her from causing harm to others and from leaving the realm. She then hid her identity under an alias, the Witch of the Woods. To protect her son from a prophecy that foretold his death, Freya cast a spell of immortality on Baldur, which also prevented him from feeling pain or pleasure. The effects of the spell caused Baldur to greatly resent his mother. The only thing capable of harming him was mistletoe, a fact which Freya kept secret.

Other characters include Mímir (Alastair Duncan), who claims to be the smartest man alive, and the Huldra Brothers—Brok (Robert Craighead) and Sindri (Adam J. Harrington)—dwarves who appear at various points in the world and assist Kratos and Atreus by forging new gear. Weapons forged by the Huldra Brothers, including Thor's hammer Mjölnir, were used by the Æsir gods. They also forged Kratos's Leviathan Axe, which originally belonged to Faye, who also gifted Kratos her Guardian Shield. The spirit of the Greek goddess Athena (Carole Ruggier) makes a cameo appearance, and Zeus (Corey Burton) appears to Kratos as an illusion in Helheim.

Plot

Many years after defeating the Olympian gods, Kratos has been living with his wife Faye and their son Atreus in Midgard. Soon after Faye dies, Kratos cremates her body, and is confronted by a stranger with godly powers. The two battle and Kratos seemingly kills the stranger, after which Kratos and Atreus begin their journey to honor Faye's last wish: to scatter her ashes at the highest peak in the nine realms. They encounter the Dwarves Brok and Sindri, the kindly Witch of the Woods, who recognizes Kratos's godhood, and Jörmungandr, the World Serpent. When their path is blocked by impenetrable black mist, the Witch instructs them to travel to Alfheim and secure its magical light to extinguish the mist. Successful, they reach Midgard's peak and overhear a conversation between the stranger—revealed to be Baldur—and his nephews, Modi and Magni, as well as the imprisoned Mímir. Mímir reveals the highest peak is actually in Jötunheim, but the Giants have blocked travel there.

Knowing of another passage, Mímir instructs Kratos to behead him and have his head revived by the Witch of the Woods, whom, upon resurrection, he reveals to be the goddess Freya. Kratos's longstanding hatred of gods causes him to distrust her, but both Freya and Mímir warn him he must tell Atreus about his true nature. Kratos, Atreus, and Mímir are attacked by Modi and Magni. After Kratos kills Magni, Modi flees but later ambushes the trio. Kratos fends him off, but Atreus collapses, overcome by illness due to the contradiction of a god believing himself to be mortal. Freya instructs Kratos to retrieve the heart of a troll in Helheim; however, his frost-based Leviathan Axe is useless in the icy realm. Kratos returns home to unearth his old weapons, the fiery Blades of Chaos, and is haunted by Athena's spirit. After retrieving the heart, he has a haunting vision of Zeus. Freya revives Atreus, and Kratos tells him they are gods. Atreus becomes increasingly arrogant and, against Kratos's orders, murders a weakened Modi, who was beaten by Thor for not avenging Magni. At Midgard's peak, Baldur ambushes Kratos and Atreus, resulting in Jötunheim's portal being destroyed. Their battle descends to Týr's Temple, and the group ends up in Helheim.

Atreus makes amends with Kratos after being reprimanded. They learn of Freya and Baldur's familial relationship and the spell of invulnerability she cast on him. Returning to Midgard, Mímir realizes another way to reach Jötunheim, but needs his missing eye. After obtaining it, the group are attacked by Baldur once more, but Freya intervenes to protect her son. Baldur is pierced by Atreus's mistletoe arrow, breaking Freya's spell. Though defeated, Kratos spares him on the condition he leave both them and Freya alone; Baldur attempts to strangle Freya, causing Kratos to kill him. A grief-stricken Freya vows revenge on Kratos, and leaves with Baldur's corpse, but not before taunting him about the past he has not yet told his son. Kratos tells Atreus about his own past and how he killed many people including his own father. Atreus laments this cycle of violence, and Kratos tells him they should not repeat the mistakes of their predecessors, including those made by Kratos himself.

Development

Development on the next God of War began in 2014. This was confirmed by Santa Monica Studio's creative director Cory Barlog at the inaugural PlayStation Experience on December 6 that year, where Barlog said it was in early development and that it would not be a prequel but possibly a reboot. In April 2016, concept art was leaked that showed images of Kratos in the world of Norse mythology, a concept originally considered by series creator David Jaffe after Kratos eliminated the Greek gods. The official announcement came at E3 2016, with a gameplay demo that confirmed the setting. The demo showed a fully bearded Kratos teaching his son how to hunt. The pair also battled a troll. The end of the demo showed the title God of War and confirmed it was in development for the PlayStation 4 (PS4). The E3 announcement also confirmed that Barlog had returned to the series as game director for the new installment. Since the original God of War (2005), Barlog had been a major contributor in the development of the series, previously most notably as the director of God of War II (2007); this installment was his fifth God of War game.

Barlog said the title God of War with no numeral or subtitle was chosen because, although it was a continuation of the series, "we ... [reimagined] everything". Head of Santa Monica Studio, Shannon Studstill, and Barlog said that Sony Interactive Entertainment had to be convinced to do another God of War game as many people at Sony wanted the series to "sleep and rest" due to the lackluster response to the previous game, Ascension. In explaining why Barlog was brought back, Studstill said he knew the series very well, "and bringing in someone that understands that history is the respect the franchise deserves". Barlog responded, "You gotta know the rules to break the rules." Series creator David Jaffe was also considered but was unavailable.

In explaining the transition from Greek mythology to Norse mythology, Barlog said: "It's kind of this BC–AD change over kind of thing. We're moving and starting from zero and kind of moving forward on that". In adapting the Norse myths, Barlog said there were many different translations and interpretations, and the writing team read the Prose Edda to learn how the myths were translated and told. Just like they did with Greek mythology in the previous games, they found ways to parallel path things from the Norse myths to fit their story. Before settling on Norse mythology, Egyptian mythology was also considered. Barlog said that half of the team was for it, but because Egypt has "a lot more about civilization – it's less isolated, less barren", he decided on the Norse setting to keep the focus on Kratos. Barlog explained further: "Having too much around distracts from that central theme of a stranger in a strange land". To explain why Kratos was now in the Norse world, Barlog said that different cultures' belief systems coexisted, but they were "separated by geography", suggesting that Kratos traveled from Greece to Norway (Scandinavia) after the conclusion of God of War III. Clarifying the conclusion of that game, Barlog said that Kratos did not destroy what was believed to be the entire world, but only the portion ruled over by the Greek pantheon. Barlog also said the newer game predated the Vikings, taking place in the time when their gods walked the Earth.

Characterization

During early development, there was talk of having a different protagonist. Some of the team said that Kratos was "annoying" and felt Kratos's story had run its course. Barlog said it took a lot of convincing to keep Kratos. Referencing the Nintendo character Mario and the Mario games, Barlog said that like Mario, "Kratos is intrinsically tied" to the God of War series. In regard to the new changes, Barlog said that:

I knew I didn't want to simply reboot the franchise, starting over with a retelling of the origin story. I wanted to reimagine the gameplay, give players a fresh perspective and a new tactile experience while delving deeper into the emotional journey of Kratos to explore the compelling drama that unfolds when an immortal demigod makes a decision to change.

Barlog explained that Kratos had to change his cycle of violence and learn to control his rage. He said Kratos had made many bad decisions, which led to the destruction of Olympus. He wanted to know what would happen if Kratos made a good decision. The birth of Barlog's own son influenced the idea of Kratos's character change. The canceled live-action Star Wars television series developed by George Lucas during the 2000s was also an influence; back on his days working at LucasArts, Barlog had been allowed to visit Skywalker Ranch and read some scripts written by writers of The Shield and 24 planned for the show, particularly starring Emperor Palpatine in an emotional and sympathetic origin story that depicted his fall into villainy after being wronged by a heartless woman. The bond between Kratos and his son is at the heart of the game. Barlog said, "This game is about Kratos teaching his son how to be a god, and his son teaching Kratos how to be human again". Referencing the Marvel Comics character Hulk, Barlog said that in regards to Kratos, "We've already told the story of The Hulk. We want to tell the story of [Bruce] Banner now". One of their goals was to make Kratos "a more nuanced and interesting character". In changing the narrative focus, Studstill said, "I think we inherently knew the franchise needed to evolve in that emotional beat and be something meatier for the older generation of gamers."

Christopher Judge, best known as Teal'c from Stargate SG-1, replaced Terrence C. Carson as the voice of Kratos; Carson had voiced Kratos since the original God of War game. Carson said "Sony went in a new direction". Carson later said that he understood the reason and that Judge's casting made sense for what Sony was wanting to do. He also said that losing acting jobs is part of the business, but he did feel a lack of respect as he was not contacted by anyone at Sony.

Soundtrack

God of War (PlayStation Soundtrack) was released on April 20, 2018, by Sony Classical Records. It was composed by Bear McCreary, who is best known for his work on television shows like Battlestar Galactica and The Walking Dead. McCreary was called into Santa Monica Studio in November 2014 to meet with music producers Peter Scaturro and Keith Leary to discuss "a secret project"; McCreary had previously collaborated with Scaturro and Leary on 2011's SOCOM 4: U.S. Navy SEALs. Ideas of folk music, mythology, Nordic ethnic instruments, vocal writing, and classical thematic development were discussed; McCreary correctly guessed that the discussions were about a new God of War. McCreary met with Barlog early on to discuss his narrative vision. After meeting with him, McCreary felt the franchise was in good hands because God of War II, which Barlog also directed, was his favorite installment.

During the initial discussions, McCreary realized he needed to compose new music and not reuse music from the series. He said that although he loved those games, he "would not describe them as emotionally dynamic". Based on his memory of the earlier games' music, however, he was inspired by their sounds, such as "deep choirs, pounding drums, and shrieking brass", and reinvented them for the Nordic setting. To ensure the music represented the setting, McCreary spent months researching and listening to Viking folk music, which resulted in him using "exotic instrumentation and languages from various Northern European folk traditions". He also wanted the score to be huge and varied, "full of peaks and valleys, tiny incantations and gigantic set pieces". The main Kratos theme in particular features low orchestral instruments, an Icelandic choir, deep male vocals, powerful female vocals (in particular Faroese singer Eivør Pálsdóttir), folk percussion, and Nordic stringed instruments, like the nyckelharpa and hurdy gurdy. The track "Witch of the Woods" uses a renaissance and baroque instrument called a viola da gamba, which is an ancestor of the modern cello. The Stranger's theme, found in the track "Deliverance", uses a Hardanger fiddle.

The first theme composed was "Memories of Mother". McCreary said the theme itself was not originally for Atreus's mother Faye, but for Kratos himself. His initial drafts were different variations of this melancholy tune. After God of War had gone into full production, McCreary and the development team realized it was "too sad and lyrical to represent Kratos". McCreary stepped away from this theme and focused on writing a new one, or what he called the Kratos Theme, which he felt was more representative of the character: "masculine, relentless, and badass". He spent several months working with Barlog, Scaturro, Leary, Sony music director Chuck Doud, and the rest of the development team to make this new theme. McCreary described it as "arguably one of my most structurally satisfying and catchy melodies". After further scoring, McCreary realized that Faye would require a theme, and his original one was "exactly [what] I needed". This melody was woven throughout several scenes and is featured as prominently as Kratos's theme. The three-note Kratos theme is most obviously heard in the title track, "God of War".

Release

God of War was released worldwide on April 20, 2018, for the PlayStation 4. In addition to the standard base game, there were three special editions: the Stone Mason Edition, the Collector's Edition, and the Digital Deluxe Edition. The Stone Mason Edition was only available in the United States and Canada and came with several physical items, including: the base game in a SteelBook case, a 9-inch (230 mm) statue of Kratos and Atreus created by Gentle Giant, 2-inch (51 mm) carvings of the Huldra Brothers, a horse, and a troll, an exclusive lithograph, a cloth map, a stonemason's ring, and a keychain of Mímir's head that talks. There was a variety of downloadable content (DLC), including an exclusive shield skin, as well as an armor set and another shield skin for Kratos, a PlayStation 4 dynamic theme, a digital artbook, and God of War #0 by Dark Horse Comics. The Collector's Edition came with many of the same items, minus the ring, the keychain, the carvings of the horse and troll, and the exclusive shield skin. The Digital Deluxe Edition came with all the digital content, minus the exclusive shield skin. U.S. and Canadian customers also received a Kratos and Atreus pin for pre-ordering the Digital Deluxe Edition. Pre-orders at select retailers received three skins for Kratos's shield. Pre-orders from GameStop or EB Games also received the "Luck of Ages XP Talisman", granting increased XP and Hacksilver gains and increased ability to trigger perks.

In addition to the special editions, a Limited Edition PlayStation 4 Pro bundle was available the same day as the game. The bundle included the standard base game, a PlayStation 4 Pro console decorated with the runes on Kratos's axe, and a similarly themed DualShock 4 controller with the God of War logo. Additionally, an official tabletop card game titled God of War: The Card Game was released by CMON Limited on October 25, 2019. Created by Alexandru Olteanu and Fel Barros, players take on the role of the Norns, the Fates of Norse mythology, as they try to prevent Ragnarök with different combinations of characters and events from the game, providing many variations to completing the card game.

Prior to launch, Barlog confirmed that God of War would not have microtransactions, a feature that had become prominent with other games and criticized. He also confirmed that it would not have post-release DLC, like an expansion pack. He said he had pitched an idea for DLC, "but it was too ambitious". His idea was similar in scope to that of The Last of Us: Left Behind (2014) and Uncharted: The Lost Legacy (2017), large standalone expansions for The Last of Us (2013) and Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (2016), respectively. He said it would have been too big to be DLC, warranting its own standalone release.

God of War: A Call from the Wilds

God of War: A Call from the Wilds was a text-based game that was only playable through Facebook Messenger. To help further promote God of War, Sony partnered with Facebook to develop the play-by-web game, which released on February 1, 2018. Completing the game unlocked downloadable concept art. The short story followed Atreus on his first adventure in the Norse wilds. After archery training and learning runes with his mother, Atreus ventures into the wilderness after telepathically hearing the voice of a dying deer; he finds it covered in blood and stays with it during its final moments. A couple of draugr appear and Atreus attempts to fight them but is injured. He is saved by his father, Kratos, who was out hunting. The two then battle a revenant before returning home.

God of War: Mímir's Vision

God of War: Mímir's Vision is a smartphone companion app that was released on April 17, 2018, for Apple and Android devices. Using alternate reality, it provides a background for the Norse setting of God of War.

Raising Kratos

Raising Kratos is a YouTube documentary of Santa Monica Studio's five-year development process, showing the "herculean effort" that went into reviving the franchise. The documentary was announced on April 20, 2019, the one year anniversary of the launch, and was released the following month on May 10.

Tie-in books

The Art of God of War is a book collecting artwork created for God of War during its development. It was written by Evan Shamoon and published by Dark Horse Comics on April 24, 2018.

An official novelization, written by Cory Barlog's father, James M. Barlog, was released on August 28, 2018, by Titan Books. An audiobook version is also available, narrated by Alastair Duncan, who voiced Mímir in the game.

Unlike the previous two God of War novels, it closely follows the source material with a few notable exceptions. The game never revealed how or why Kratos was in ancient Norway, or how much time had passed since the ending of God of War III, but the novel gives some indication. Kratos chose to leave ancient Greece to hide his identity and change who he was. At some point after leaving Greece, he battles some wolves and is saved by a cloaked female figure, presumably Faye. Later, during their journey, Kratos, Atreus, and Mímir see a mural with the wolves Sköll and Hati. This causes Kratos to have a flashback to the initial battle and makes him wonder if they dragged him to this new land and if so, why. There was also some retconning; at the end of God of War III, Kratos had the Blades of Exile, but this novel says he had the Blades of Chaos after killing Zeus. It is also mentioned that he tried several times to get rid of the blades, but by fate they kept returning to him. (For example, he threw them off a cliff, but they washed up on shore near him.) Sometime after ending up in Norway, he decided to hide them under his house and never use them again. This moment was said to have occurred 50 years before the start of the current story. When Kratos does recover the Blades of Chaos, he hears Pandora's speech about hope from God of War III.

In the game, Kratos sees one last image on the mural in Jötunheim. It seemingly shows Atreus holding Kratos's dead body, but in the novel, this mural is partially broken and does not show the corpse that Atreus is holding. Brok and Sindri also reveal why they made the Leviathan Axe for Faye; she had come to them as the last Guardian of Jötnar and needed a weapon to protect her people. The Huldra Brothers crafted the Leviathan Axe for her to be Mjölnir's equal. Mímir also mentioned that Faye, or rather Laufey the Just, thwarted many of the Æsir's plans, including freeing slaves, and Thor could never find her. Kratos's Guardian Shield is never mentioned, and Modi does not ambush the three, resulting in Atreus falling ill; Atreus instead falls ill shortly after their first encounter when Kratos kills Magni.

Reception

Reviews

God of War received "universal acclaim" from critics, according to review aggregator website Metacritic, tying it with the original God of War for the highest score in the franchise. It has the fourth-highest score of all-time for a PlayStation 4 game, and the highest score for an original, non-remastered PlayStation 4 exclusive. It was the highest rated PlayStation 4 game of 2018 until the release of Red Dead Redemption 2 in October, which pushed God of War to second. It is also tied with the Xbox One version of Celeste for the second-highest score of 2018 regardless of platform. God of War received particular praise for its art direction, graphics, combat system, music, story, use of Norse mythology, characters, and cinematic feeling. Many reviewers felt it had successfully revitalized the series without losing the core identity of its predecessors.

The story was well praised. Nick Plessas of Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM) said the story's most memorable moments were the interactions between Kratos and Atreus. He also noted, "there is often some comic relief to be found when Kratos's curtness and Atreus's charming naivety collide." He felt the presence of Atreus showed a side to Kratos not seen before, and that Kratos had evolved emotionally: "The rage and pain of his past is in constant conflict with his desire to spare his son from it, which comes across in even the most subtle actions and words, demonstrating the effort he is putting in." Plessas said Atreus's character was similarly complex. He commented it is easy for child characters "to succumb to a number of annoying child archetypes," but Atreus is more like a young man who is doing his best in an adult world. Game Informer's Joe Juba similarly praised the story, particularly the relationship between Kratos and Atreus: "The interactions of Kratos and Atreus range from adversarial to compassionate, and these exchanges have ample room to breathe and draw players in." Juba said that Kratos conveys more character than in any previous game. Peter Brown of GameSpot felt that although Kratos and Atreus were enjoyable, it was Mímir who stole the show. He also said that regardless of which character the player meets, the cast of God of War is "strong, convincing, and oddly enchanting." Writing for Game Revolution, Jason Faulkner praised Santa Monica for creating a sequel that new players would be able to understand without having played any of the previous games, while at the same time providing story references to those past games that returning fans would appreciate. Speaking of the relationship between Kratos and Atreus, Faulkner wrote that, "Watching the two grow throughout their journey is incredibly rewarding," equating it to that of Ellie and Joel from The Last of Us or Lee and Clementine from Telltale Games's The Walking Dead.

Sales

During its release week in the United Kingdom, God of War became the fastest-selling entry in the franchise, selling 35% more physical copies than God of War III. It remained at the top of the all format sales chart for six consecutive weeks through April and May, setting a record for a PlayStation 4 exclusive having the most consecutive weeks at number one. It sold 46,091 copies in its first week on sale in Japan, which placed it at number two on the sales chart. It sold over 3.1 million copies worldwide within three days of its release, making it the fastest-selling PlayStation 4 exclusive at the time. It was the fastest-selling game of the month of its release and contributed to the PlayStation 4 being the best-selling console of that month. In total, God of War sold over 5 million copies in its first month, with 2.1 million in digital sales. By May 2019, it had sold over 10 million units worldwide, making it the best-selling game in the series. By August 2021, total sales had exceeded over 19.5 million units, making it the best-selling PlayStation 4 game. By March 2022, the Windows version had sold 971,000 units, giving a total of over 20.4 million units sold. By November 2022, God of War had sold 23 million copies.

Accolades

God of War won Game of the Year awards from several gaming publications, including British Academy Games Awards, The Blade, CNET, Destructoid, D.I.C.E. Awards, Empire, Entertainment Weekly, G1, The Game Awards, Game Developers Choice Awards, Game Informer, Game Revolution, GamesRadar+, IGN, Nerdist, New York Game Awards, Polygon, Push Square, Slant Magazine, Time, Variety, and VideoGamer.com. God of War was named among the best games of the 2010s by Areajugones, BuzzFeed, GameSpew, GamesRadar+, Gaming Age, GamingBolt, The Hollywood Reporter, IGN, Metacritic, Slant Magazine, Stuff, and VG247. In 2021, it was voted as the winner of IGN's Best Video Game of All Time. In 2025, Rolling Stone named God of War the 39th-greatest video game.

God of War was nominated for Game of the Show, Best PlayStation 4 Game, and Best Action Game at IGN's Best of E3 2016 Awards. It won the award for Game of the Year, Best PlayStation 4 Game, Best Action-Adventure Game, Best Art Direction, and Best Story at IGN's Best of 2018 Awards. It was a runner-up for Best Graphics, and was nominated for Best Music.

Sequel

Following God of War's announcement in mid-2016, Barlog confirmed that it would not be Kratos's last game. He also said that after the Norse era, future games could see the series tackling Egyptian or Maya mythology, and although the 2018 installment focused on Norse mythology, it alluded to other mythologies co-existing in the world. Barlog also said he liked the idea of having different directors for each game, as had happened with the Greek era, and that although he might not direct another God of War, he would still be at Santa Monica to work on future games.

A sequel, God of War Ragnarök, was announced at the PlayStation 5 Showcase event in September 2020 and was originally scheduled to be released in 2021. However, it was delayed, in part, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and released worldwide on November 9, 2022, for both the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, marking the first cross-gen release in the series. Barlog stepped down as game director and became a producer and creative director, while Eric Williams, who had worked on every previous game in the series, assumed the role of game director. Taking place three years after the 2018 installment, Ragnarök concluded the Norse era of the series.

Television series

In March 2022, it was reported that a live action television series was said to be in development at Amazon Prime Video by Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby, and Rafe Judkins. During an investor briefing that May, Sony Interactive Entertainment president Jim Ryan confirmed that a God of War television series was in development for Prime Video. The series was officially ordered in December 2022 and is being produced by Sony Pictures Television and Amazon Studios in association with PlayStation Productions, and it will premiere on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide. Executive producers include Barlog, PlayStation Productions's Asad Qizilbash and Carter Swan, Santa Monica Studio's Yumi Yang, and Vertigo Entertainment's Roy Lee, with Santa Monica Studio's Jeff Ketcham serving as a co-executive producer. The series will adapt the Norse era, beginning with the events of the 2018 installment.

Amazon Studios's Head of Television, Vernon Sanders, assured that the series would stay true to the game. Implying that there could be multiple seasons, Sanders said that the "emotional core" of the first season, and series as a whole, would be the father-and-son story. Qizilbash stated that they would apply the same amount of care that they did with the television adaptation of The Last of Us, stating that they would be telling the whole story of the game, as without the time constraints of a film, they have multiple episodes to be able to tell the story.

The series was originally being written by Fergus and Ostby, with Judkins serving as showrunner, who were all also going to be executive producers. By January 2024, writing was underway. In October, however, it was reported that while multiple scripts for the first season had been completed and although both Sony and Prime gave praise, Fergus, Ostby, and Judkins left the project as the studios wanted to start over and go in a different direction. Prolific creator and showrunner Ronald D. Moore was then hired on as the series writer, showrunner, and as an executive producer. In March 2025, Moore revealed that Amazon had ordered two seasons of the series. Pre-production started that December in Vancouver with casting underway. Frederick E. O. Toye is set to direct the first two episodes of the series. Casting announcements began in January 2026, with Ryan Hurst, who portrayed Thor in God of War Ragnarök, as Kratos, Teresa Palmer as Sif, Max Parker as Heimdall, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson as Thor, Mandy Patinkin as Odin, Danny Woodburn as Brok, Jeff Gulka as Sindri, and Ed Skrein as Baldur, with Alastair Duncan reprising his role as Mímir and child actor Callum Vinson as Atreus. The series officially entered production on February 27, 2026.